OhioHealth Group's principal business and organizational strategy is developing a clinically integrated network of providers whose goal is to improve the value of care we provide. This network will be comprised of MGO physicians and OhioHealth facilities working together to measurably improve the quality and cost effectiveness of care being provided regardless of location.

This clinically integrated network will demonstrate value (defined as decreasing the underuse, overuse, and misuse of health services) to the purchasers of health care thereby creating a viable business strategy and fostering their willingness to contract via the OhioHealth Group PHO.

What is Clinical Integration?

Clinical integration is a term describing the way physicians and hospital systems work together to care for their patients. The purpose of integration is to measurably improve care while reducing or at least rationalizing the associated costs.

Clinical integration focuses on creating partnerships to effectively coordinate behaviors, provide a continuum of service and ensure that evidence and patient centeredness underlie medical decision making. Integration must have teeth. It must have a real system of carrots and sticks to improve care and facilitate, encourage and assure cooperative interaction. Such a system can only be designed by those willing to hold themselves accountable to it.

Clinical integration requires a higher degree of interdependence among physicians and with the hospital than currently exists to improve quality. It must be across the organization, in this case OhioHealth Group PHO which represents both MGO and OhioHealth Corporation.

How do we become clinically integrated?

There are a number of essential structures and processes that must be realized to attain clinical integration. Because clinical integration requires such a high degree of interdependence between providers the collection and thoughtful use of data is a key component of the initiative. OhioHealth Group is working with OhioHealth and MGO to explore the technology resources and other infrastructure needs to support clinical integration. We are also working with various committees to develop the essential elements of clinical integration and planning how they will be implemented across the practices. This includes working with existing practices’ resources or by offering the appropriate technology tools through OHG or OhioHealth Corporation.

Quick Facts About Clinical Integration

This document will give you information about what Clinical Integration is and isn't.